Mosquito Borne Diseases in the USA

05/08/2018

The whole scientific community, the public
and the press have been interested in the hot topic of mosquito borne diseases
in the USA and their effect on the country. As well as the viruses themselves,
there are also long-term health complications that these illnesses bring with
them, making mosquitos one of the most deadly and
dangerous pests in the world.

As you may have seen, more and more education
has been given out to USA citizens on what protective measures you can take to
reduce the Zika virus spreading. Alongside this, the scientific community has
reviewed some trusted experimental methods to stop any outbreaks happening in
the future.

Mother Nature has intensified the affect of
the diseases that mosquitoes spread. The floods in Texas and Florida have
majorly exacerbated the spread of these diseases, and there’s been a lot of
cases of Zika in these areas.

In 2017, the biggest mosquito borne
diseases that were reported in the United States were West Nile Virus (WNV),
Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and of course, Zika. WNV is still the most
common virus that mosquitoes transmit to us and is also responsible for taking
the highest number of human lives.

Here we are going to take a look at these
three main mosquito borne diseases in the USA.

West Nile Virus

47 out of the 50 states in America have reported
infections of West Nile Virus, which has been found in people, birds or animals.
There were 2002 cases reported in humans in one year, and 121 of these people
died. This was a decrease in the number of people who had suffered from the
virus from the previous year, but more cases had ended in fatality.

The states that are being most affected by
the West Nile Virus are California, Texas, Arizona, Illinois and South Dakota.
The virus is transmitted to humans via mosquitoes that have fed on infected
birds. Most cases of the infection have occurred during the summer months, when
mosquitoes are more common. The symptoms of WNV are very much like the flu.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis

The Triple E is rarer, but it is a deadly illness
for humans. Only a few cases of this virus have been reported in the US, but
all of these have been fatal for those infected.

EEE is one of the less common mosquito
borne diseases in the USA because the mosquito that the virus is carried by
doesn’t typically feed on humans. The symptoms of the virus doesn’t appear for
four to ten days, but when they do it’s normal to experience vomiting, headache
and a sudden fever.

The virus has become more of a concern for
horse owners, as this is the typical animal that the particular type of
mosquito feeds on. Horse owners have been encouraged to vaccinate their horses
against this disease, but unfortunately there’s no such vaccine for humans.

Zika

Zika is mainly spread by travel, with 409
cases associated with this in a year. The most heavily impacted states by the
Zika virus are Florida and Texas. This was mainly put down to the weather
conditions and severe flooding due to hurricanes.

Although Zika is still a hot topic in the
USA, the virus has actually seen a decrease in cases, and more is being done to
combat the diseases and stop the transmission to more states.

The symptoms of Zika
begin with a headache and a fever. After a few days, a rash may appear that can
cover the entire body. Other symptoms are very much flu-like. Pregnant women
are most at risk of catching the virus because it can cause birth defects and
underdevelopment in unborn children. Currently there is no vaccine or cure
available for the Zika virus.